From its inception in 1968, Martin Luther King Montessori School has been dedicated to providing quality care and education to low-income preschool children in the Fort Wayne community.

Our Mission

Martin Luther King Montessori School’s mission is to provide quality care and education that fosters a child's natural ability to learn while promoting self-confidence, social and cognitive development, and independence.

Greta McKinney began her tenure as Director of MLK Montessori School in April 2012. Greta received her undergraduate degree in Human Services from Purdue University and her master’s degree in Education from Indiana University. Greta’s passion for Montessori began in the mid-eighties when she was employed as an assistant at the Sarah Lynch Developmental Center. There, she worked with children with disabilities utilizing the Montessori philosophy.

Greta is passionate about ensuring that every child receives a high-quality education. In her role as Director, she hires only licensed and degreed (or degree-seeking) teachers. She also ensures that all teachers are Montessori-certified.

Greta’s goal for MLK Montessori School is to continue to instill in children a love of learning that will enable them to confidently meet the challenges and demands they will face as they become our future leaders.

MLK Montessori was established in response to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Three Fort Wayne women —Dottie Fitchey, Dorothy Holt, and Mary Hoban — had a vision to transform the tragic event into something positive for our community. Dr. King believed in equal education for all children, regardless of their economic background or skin color, and these women continued Dr. King's dream by opening MLK Montessori.

The school began in a single classroom donated by St. Mary's Catholic Church and served 18 children. After remaining at this location for many years, in October 2003, the Lincoln Foundation donated the Great Beginning Daycare building on Lewis Street to MLK Montessori, where the school operated until the building was sold to make way for Parkview Field. In August 2007, MLK Montessori moved to leased classrooms at Village Elementary School. Two years later, in August 2009, the school achieved location permanence when it moved to its new home at 6001 South Anthony, which was purchased with funds from the sale of the Lewis Street facility. MLK Montessori now has the capacity to serve 100 children, and, over the years, the school has graduated more than 5,000 students.

If you would like to help us further our mission to enrich every child’s growth, development and dreams through a Montessori preschool education that is accessible to all children no matter their circumstance, please consider making a donation:

Click on the button above to make a one time or recurring donation to MLK Montessori School using your credit card, bank account, or Paypal account through our Paypal® Secure Payments System.

MLK Montessori School is partially funded through private donations and grants from the following organizations: